Colgate Tops American University Women's Basketball, 66-53

HAMILTON, N.Y. -
American University Women's Basketball was defeated by Colgate 66-53 on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.

The Raiders opened the second with a 37-27 advantage and never relinquished the lead. American came within seven multiple times throughout the second stanza, but was not able to overcome Colgate's early lead. Junior guard Nicole Ryan (Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater) netted 10 points in the second stanza, with Talicia Jackson (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) chipping in eight of her own. The duo scored 13 points each. Colgate's Gretchen Polinski was always there to answer, tallying a game high 21 points, including six buckets from beyond the arch.

The hosts went on an 8-0 run midway through the first half to pull away from American University 28-17, with just under eight minutes remaining. Raider Tahara Williams netted back to back treys in the run, combining for 12 first half points. Williams finished with 18 points on the day.

Colgate held a 36-29 advantage in rebounds, with Abby Lipskis (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Collegiate) and Jackson registering six boards each. American forced the Raiders to commit 19 turnovers, scoring 14 points off Colgate's mistakes. Off the bench, AU outscored the hosts 21-8, with Jackson tallying 13 of those points.

American falls to 4-6 in conference action while Colgate improves to 4-6. The 2006-07 series was split between the two foes, with AU earning the first win in Bender Arena earlier this season. The Eagles return to action on Tuesday when they host Army at 7 p.m.